Friday, 8 June 2018

Fifa bans Ghana football head Kwesi Nyantakyi over 'cash gift'

The former Ghana Football Association president has been banned by Fifa from football activities for 90 days.

Ghana has said it will dissolve its national football association after Kwesi Nyantakyi was filmed apparently accepting a "cash gift".

He was pictured taking $65,000 (£48,000) from an undercover reporter pretending to be a businessman.

Mr Nyantakyi is the second most powerful official in African football and also a member of the Fifa Council.

Ghana Football Association (GFA) announced on 8 June, hours after the ban was put in place, that Mr Nyantakyi had stepped down as its president.

He has not commented on the allegations.

The provisional suspension comes into force "immediately" and can be extended by 45 days, Fifa said in a statement.

BBC African football analyst Nick Cavell says it seems unlikely that Ghana will be able to take part in Wednesday's vote for the next host of the 2026 World Cup, which pits Morocco against a joint bid from US, Canada and Mexico.

Fifa could in theory ban Ghana from international competition if they deem the move to dissolve the GFA to be political interference.